Friday, January 8

Anomalisa Review

Anomalisa

Dir: Charlie Kaufman and Duke Johnson

Starring: David Thewlis, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Tom Noonan

Starburns Industries

90 Minutes

There are interesting minds and voices in the world of cinema,
and then there is Charlie Kaufman. The writer of “Being John Malkovich”,
“Adaptation”, and “The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” and also the
director of one of the most brilliant films of the last ten years “Synecdoche,
New York”, Mr. Kaufman’s work has been equally unique and strange but also intricate
and confounding. It’s a characteristic many filmmakers try to emulate but few
successfully achieve. “Anomalisa” is a film about imperfect
individuals dealing with complicated issues that are never easy or simply
stated, it’s a film that displays the pain of loneliness, the despair found in relationships,
and the journey of finding ones’ self. Did I fail to mention that this entire story
is told through stop-motion puppet animation?

Michael Stone (voiced by David Thewlis)
is traveling by plane to give a speech at a convention. He leads an unexciting
existence and is crippled with a difficulty of interacting deeply with other
people. Everything in Michael’s world is a reminder of how alone he actually
is, a painful repetition of people and places. By chance Michael meets a woman
named Lisa (voiced by Jennifer Jason Leigh). He is shocked and intrigued
because Lisa isn’t like everyone else in his life, Michael begins to feel
something different, something new, something exciting.

Mr. Kaufman doesn’t shy away from the
complexities of the relationship between Michael and Lisa, instead of looking
for an easy resolution he delves into the difficult matters. What begins as a lustful
affair for the couple, displayed through an honest though detailed sexual
demonstration, turns into a mess of emotional anxieties and uncomfortable
discernments for two people who both want something that is difficult for them
to accept. It’s stingingly genuine and truthful; the imperfections that exist
within people are demonstrated in various ways, some softly spoken while others
exuberantly expressed. It’s a sad and melancholy world, an example of how painfully
ordinary everyday life can be when seen through the eyes of frustrated and
disheartened people.

The environments created reflect the
ordinariness of the world seen by Michael, faces become strangely blank, almost
emotionless, because many of the supporting characters are refabricated from
other puppets seen throughout the film, just newly styled to fit new
environments. Add the brilliant design of making every character besides
Michael and Lisa have the same voice, that of the impressive Tom Noonan
utilizing slightly different vocal styles, and the world here becomes a reality
that is undistinguishable for Michael.

David Thewlis does a fine job of giving
Michael a balance of hostility and hopelessness. Jennifer Jason Leigh adds the
necessary life to Lisa that makes her a determined beam of complicated sunshine
even though her imperfections are just as noticeable as everyone else here.
It’s a wonderfully rendered balancing act from two accomplished actors but also
a display of Mr. Kaufman’s patient attention and meticulous composition of
these characters.

“Anomalisa” is a challenging, yet strangely heartfelt,
experience. A story of human connection told in a completely unique way, an unparalleled
vision from a masterful storyteller.